Bishop Donald DeGrood Homilies

Drawing on this weekend's readings from Ezekiel and Romans, Bishop DeGrood explores how to correct the people we love by explaining the difference between selfish criticism and authentic fraternal correction. Are you correcting someone because they are on a path that will lead them to sin or harm? Or are you criticizing a habit you find annoying? Bishop also explains the importance of proper disce...

"Who do you say that I am?" When Jesus asks his disciples this question, it marks a pivotal moment in the Gospel. St. Peter's response reveals that he knows who Jesus is — even if he doesn't yet fully understand. In this homily, Bishop DeGrood unpacks two gifts of the Holy Spirit: knowledge and understanding. Will you take time in prayer to invite God in and ask him for these very gifts?

God desires all people and nations, and every heart to know him. Scripture reveals this desire over and over again. Isaiah prophesied that the house of the Lord would be a house of prayer for all people. In this homily, Bishop DeGrood reflects on the moment heaven and earth are united, and reminds us that we are united with the saints and angels at the Sacrifice of the Mass and taken back to Calva...

How does a humble farm boy with very little education become the patron saint of priests? In this homily, Bishop DeGrood recounts the life of St. John Vianney, his love for the Eucharist, harassments by the devil, and the spiritual impact he had on the souls he ministered to and continues to inspire today. Bishop DeGrood asks for the prayers of the faithful for our priests through the intercession...

Do you struggle to love and obey the commands of the Lord? In this homily, Bishop DeGrood explains how the graces we receive in Baptism and Confirmation allow us to be receptive to God's plan for our lives, and how trust and surrender to God brings freedom in all things, even in the trials of life.

Do you feel your heart changing? In this homily, Bishop DeGrood explains what happens when God purifies and changes your heart, and how you can cooperate with God as he works within your heart. This homily also includes a special moment for four permanent diaconate candidates as they take the next step in their vocation journey through the Rite of Candidacy.

Is your soul open to the Lord? Or is your heart closed and hardened towards the Lord? In this homily, Bishop DeGrood explains the graces placed upon our hearts at Baptism that allow us to grow in spiritual fruitfulness, and how easy it can be to become distracted and discouraged from growing in faith. Will you allow the Lord to fill you with graces and water the seeds of faith in your heart?

Do you know the symbolism of the Sacred Heart of Jesus? In this homily, Bishop DeGrood explains what each part of the image means, and encourages us to allow the Sacred Heart to purify us.

Do you struggle to say "no" to sin and temptation? In this homily, Bishop DeGrood encourages us to stand up against evil and temptation like Christ did, and to grow in virtue and faithfulness to the Gospel.

How do we make ourselves worthy and let God live within us? In this homily, Bishop DeGrood reminds us that we must continually pray and ask God for the graces we need, and how it is God who makes us worthy.

Mothers have a special and privileged role in bringing new life into the world. In this homily, Bishop DeGrood reflects on the beauty of motherhood and how mothers and mother figures enrich the lives of those around them.

Does everything going on in the world have you feeling unsettled and disturbed? In this homily, Bishop DeGrood reminds us God has everything in his control, and encourages us to stay informed, but to not let the things that are happening consume us and lead us away from God.

We have entered into the holiest week of the year. In this homily, Bishop DeGrood encourages us to enter into the mystery of Christ's Passion and draw from the well of grace and strength this Holy Week, and enter into the passion God has for our own lives.

At the moment of your baptism, you were infused with graces. Not only were you infused with graces, but God also took you unto himself. In this homily, Bishop explains the reality of what happens to the soul at Baptism and when a baby is consecrated in oil, and how, through the waters of Baptism and holy oils, God pours himself into the heart and soul of the newly baptized.

Do you struggle with Lent? Do you tend to mumble and grumble when being tested or when God is asking you to grow? As human beings, it's our tendency because of Original Sin to resist growing in our spiritual lives. In this homily, Bishop encourages us to seek the Lord and allow him to fill us with his grace.

Do you struggle with the season of Lent? Bishop DeGrood did too as a child. In this homily, Bishop reflects on his childhood experiences, how the struggles he experienced back then now reveal the pathway for grace in his life, and he offers his encouragement this first week of Lent.

Do you know someone who embodies the humility of Jesus? In this homily, Bishop DeGrood reflects on the virtue of humility as the foundation of the spiritual life and how we need God to help us become humble like Christ was humble. Bishop reminds us that those who are humble are the most authentic. Do you want to be humble and authentic like Jesus?

When God's grace moves deeply within a soul, one can recognize it is of God. Even when we do not realize it, the heart yearns for deep connection with the Lord. In this homily, Bishop DeGrood reflects on the power of Christ's light and the power it has to draw any heart to himself.

Do you wish you had the courage to share your faith with a random person you encounter, or with your loved ones? In this homily, Bishop DeGrood explains why you can have the confidence to share the Good News with the people around you.

The baptism of Jesus is a profound mystery. Yet we do know Christ's baptism, and our own, opened the door to God's grace for us. In this homily, Bishop DeGrood reflects on the mystery and the extraordinary gift of the Sacrament of Baptism.

Is the joy and presence of God alive in your heart? In this homily, Bishop DeGrood explains how it is possible to be filled with the joy of the Lord even in the midst of hardship and reminds us that we are called to rejoice at all times and entrust ourselves to God and to live in union with him.

In an unjust world, we can take confidence in our Lord who is perfectly just. In this homily, Bishop DeGrood reminds us of God's justice and encourages us to grow in the cardinal virtue of justice so we may treat those around us with the love of God, and rid our hearts of anything preventing us from loving others as God loves us.

On this first weekend of November where we remember the faithful departed, especially the souls in purgatory, Bishop reminds us that we are always in need of purification in this life and that we are not ready for heaven... yet.

The Lord hears the cry of the poor. He hears the cry of those living in poverty, and of those who are poor in spirit. This weekend in his homily, Bishop reflected on how we are called to hear the cry of the poor and to be the hands and feet of Jesus to them, but we are also to remember our own poverty and need for the Lord.

There is an ongoing battle raging for life. A battle over the protection or destruction of life. This weekend in his homily, Bishop reflected on the ways life is under attack, from the unborn, sick and the elderly. But we are not without hope! Bishop also reminds us that the people of God are called to be like Aaron and Hur, who held up the arms of Moses, and support and stand beside our leaders f...